Please help with saddle/sore back advice

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shywhitebadger

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My horse has been unhappy being ridden. The faster he is asked to go, the more unhappy he has seemed to be. His back has been sore. I have had the Equine Touch person out three times but they could never get him right. He is not happy when you run your hand down his spine. I had his back scanned and xrayed, no kissing spine.
I had the McTimoney out who confirmed his back was sore lumbar area and worked on him for an hour. McTimoney said his saddle didn't fit him. (The saddle was fitted by a Master Saddler six months ago).
He seemed much happier in himself today with no reaction to running your hand down his spine. Probably all down to McTimoney.
Rode him tonight in his normal saddle and numnah and although he was happier, he still didn't seem 100%.
Swapped the numnah for a polypad and a Prolite pad and he was much happier and flew round the school, more forward going than he has been for a while.
Would a badly fitting (pinching) saddle make so much of a difference cause his sore back and reduced performance?
Is the polypad and prolite protecting his back and therefore do I still proceed with further xrays and scans?
Thanks for reading, I really appreciate your experience and opinions.
 
Horses can change shape very quickly and a saddle that fitted 6 months ago may not fit now. Get the saddler back out to check if it needs some adjustment.
 
My horse has had a sore back on and off since I bought him.

A problem with his feet now being addressed, has resulted in no more sore back.

So, I'd be looking at his feet too.
 
First of all please get your saddle checked - most saddlers fit a saddle far too tightly and fit it to a static horse, not moving horse. You should be able to run your hand down from the withers to the elbow between the horse and the saddle without any resistance. Also, most of us place the saddle far too far forward on the withers and restrict the shoulder movement.

Then check that your farrier is doing the right thing - imagine if you were wearing shoes that were uncomfortable all the time! We can take our shoes off, horses can't.

Then try an Equine Bowen therapist, who should be able to advise you - I tried one for my horse and it was amazing. Check out www.equinebowentherapy.com for a therapist near you.

Good luck
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Hi, sorry to hear your horse is not happy! This may be of no use to you but just incase- had a 'master saddler' out to fit a dressage saddle. Six ish months later had unhappy horse with poorly back. I stupidly didn't realise there was a difference between 'master saddler' and 'saddle fitter'. Horse showed same symtom you described. Though to my untrained eye saddle looked ok it was def causing him pain. Would def recommend getting a second opinion on your saddle fit. Wouldn't do any harm...
Good luck!
 
Yes, a badly fitiing saddle can easily make a horses back this sore in a very short time. As said above, your horse can easily have changed shape over the last six months, so do get your saddle checked again. In the meantime, leave him for a week and apply witch hazel to the sore area.
 
Most? Most saddle fitters watch to see how a horse moves and how the saddle fits when moving, and with a rider on. You are absolutely correct about the placement of saddles, it is a very common mistake
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You are right the poster who mentioned that a Master Saddler is different to a Saddle Fitter!
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Many thanks for taking the time to reply.
Thankyou, you totally make sense that a Master saddler and a saddle fitter are different.
I will definately get a saddle fitter out for him.
What I am wondering is do you think that the polypad and prolite pad are masking pain in the back from elsewhere?
 
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